My Moronic Miracle
by Blondie B. Happy
Summary: When Annabeth walked into that coffee shop on the first day of winter break, she hardly expected to meet the weird, water-loving black-haired moron that would steal her heart. AU/AH


_**::**_

_**[December 18**__**th**__**, 2011: Day 1]**_

As always, on the first day of winter break I walked to the coffee shop about ten minutes from my house. It was a tradition my mother had started, back when she'd still been alive.

I'd been three years old and coffee had tasted like demon spawn piss.

But now, at seventeen, I yawned as the snow drifted lightly onto my shoulders. It was damn near seven in the morning, and my little brothers were insistent on always waking me up at the crack of dawn.

There was something about this Starbucks that had always been different than all the others. Maybe it was the fact that it was probably the only one in New York that wasn't packed 24/7. Here, in the smaller less occupied area of Manhattan, it was a holy miracle that the Starbucks had been able to stay in business this long.

There was also something about the way it tasted. It was fresh and warmed me right to my bones. It was never scalding hot, and since it was so quite I was always able to go there and read in peace. It was heaven in the city on the non busy rode a block from my house. And everything was even better in the winter.

Upon reaching the Starbucks, I walked in and immediately noticed something was off. My Spidey Senses were a-tingling. I just had that sixth sense to know when something was wrong, and something was wrong.

I noticed that the normal guy, Mr. Brunner, was not at the counter. He was making all of the drinks and little treats. I smiled. Mr. Brunner was a middle aged man who could barely walk without a cane, but he was smart and funny and like a second father to me. I'd bonded with him well over the last couple years, especially since my mother died. She'd been friends with him too.

Sometimes, on lucky days, Mr. Brunner would actually tell me a story about my mom. Something that I didn't know already. Dad hardly told me anything as he spent most of his time working and surveying things that were hundreds of years old.

Today, there was a man that I'd never met before at the counter. He was my age, I assumed, but then I remember what people said about those who assumed and decided to keep an open mind. He looked positively bored. His black hair was sticking up in every which direction as if he'd just rolled out of bed. His green eyes, however sparkled with mischief as they glided up and down my body, inspecting me.

"Hi Mr. Brunner!" I said as happily as I could muster, ignoring the new kid.

Brunner bucked right up when he noticed me. He nudged the new guy. "See, I told you that she would be here." Then he turned to me. "Annabeth, my dear, get away from the door. The draft is horrid and you'll catch a cold."

I smiled warmly at him and walked up to the counter. "I would like a—"

"Peppermint Mocha," the guy interrupted, then flushed furiously, which looked weird on him with his super tanned cheeks. He was about six inches taller than me so I had to look up to look him directly in the eye. He was good looking, I realized. Really good looking. But how had he known that? "Chiron told me," he informed, sensing my wariness.

Strange. Most people didn't call Mr. Brunner by his first name. Even I didn't. "Oh, of course," I answered. "And you are. . . ?"

He stuck out his hand. "My name's Percy Jackson. No need to introduce yourself. I know you're Annabeth Chase and that you live just up the road and want to go to Harvard for college but you'd settle for NYU too."

I shot Mr. Brunner a look, and he shrugged. "What can I say? I love to tell people about you."

I was flattered but also a little creeped out. Mr. Brunner busied himself with making my mocha and then passed it to Percy, who passed it to me. I gave Percy the money and he gave me the change. "Aren't you staying today?" Mr. Brunner asked. "I don't see a book."

"I have to go Christmas shopping," I explained and then frowned. I was not looking forward to today, because I was going to have to put up with the two brats the entire time, complaining and always wanting everything. Dad wouldn't even try to stop them. "I just came to get a cup to go."

"Oh, well I'll see you tomorrow. My dear. Have fun and don't pulverize the boys too much."

"See you!" I said, and then turned to Percy Jackson, who was staring at me, which was also kind of creepy. "I guess I'll see you around."

"I'll be here all winter break," he answered, not taking his eyes off of mine.

_**::**_

_**[December 19**__**th**__**, 2011: Day 2]**_

Yesterday had been exhausting, so I slept in until ten in the morning before cranking my sorry ass out of bed and getting dressed. I grabbed the first book that my hand touched and didn't even bother to see what it was.

Without a word to anyone in my family, I left the apartment and carried on down the road. This morning, it was in the mid thirties, and the snow from yesterday was melting slowly and draining into the sewers. I crinkled my nose at a gross smell and walked at a brisk pace until I finally reached the Starbucks.

As Percy Jackson had promised, he was there this morning too. If he was around my age, I wondered why I had never seen him before. He had to be from around here, so he'd probably have gone to my high school. Maybe I would ask him if I got the chance.

Instead of only wearing his Starbucks outfit, Percy had on a hat with reindeer antlers poking out of the sides and an oversized white sweater with snowflakes all over it. He was eating a cookie but immediately dropped it when he saw me, leaving crumbs all over his mouth and face. Percy rubbed at his eyes and blinked.

He yawned.

I yawned because of him. Ugh. I hated it when that happened. This time, I noticed that there actually were people in the café. I saw a guy and two girls who were sitting around a small table and I college guy on his laptop in the couch area.

This time when I walked up, Percy Jackson grinned at me and held out my Peppermint Mocha before I'd even reached the counter. I arched a brow at him. "I didn't want this."

He blanched for a second, and then I laughed at him. Why, I don't know. He probably thought I was a freak or something. "No, I'm just messing with you."

Then he gave a small laugh back and I gave him the money for the coffee before turning around and finding a quiet spot in the corner of the shop. It was amazing how much noise a few people could cause, and me, being ADHD, did not appreciate that.

I glanced at the title of the book that I had grabbed. Ah, the Book Thief by Markus Zusak. One of my all time favorites. Grinning, I began to read a random page from the book.

"'_How about a kiss, __Saumensch__?'_

He stood waist-deep in the water for a few moments longer before climbing out and handing her the book. His pants clung to him, and he did not stop walking. In truth, I think he was afraid. Rudy Steiner was scared of the book thief's kiss. He must have longed for it so much. He must have loved her so incredibly hard. So hard that he would never ask for her lips again and would go to his grave without them."

I laughed quietly to myself at the first part but sobered up as I read the end. Life and love really weren't all that fair, but of course, I'd already learned that from having to act out the part of Juliet during our Shakespeare period as a freshman.

"Hey, there. . . Annabeth Chase, right?" Percy was sitting down in the chair across from me. I think he knew very well what my name was.

"Yeah," I answered, closing the book and taking a sip of the warm coffee. "And you'd be Percy Jackson, right?"

"I guess so," he said smiling. He ran a hand through his unruly black hair. "You know, Chiron talks about you all the time. You're his prize, but he tells me over and over again that you aren't related. All he does is brag about you though, so you might as well be."

I flushed. I was going to half to talk to him about that. "Do you know him so well that you're on a first name basis?"

"My mom has known Chiron since she used to live here. I see him sometimes. He offered me this job when he heard that I needed some extra money to buy my parents something for Christmas."

"Weird. He's never mentioned you."

Percy arched a brow. "Is that supposed to make me mad?"

"No. I was just stating facts. Shouldn't you be working then, if you need to go buy presents so badly?"

"I suppose I should be."

We stared at each other. His green eyes were very intense but laced with mirth, as if he enjoyed getting into arguments all the time. It was kind of infuriating, but cute too. His eyebrows scrunched together when he gazed at me. I felt a little fluffiness in the pit of my stomach that I dismissed as quickly as it arrived.

"I hope this doesn't sound too odd," Percy started off. "But your eyes are really gray."

I rolled my 'really gray' eyes. "Thank, I try."

He laughed. "So, do you live here?"

"Yeah," I answered. "I have my entire life. Well, I lived in San Francisco for a few weeks as a baby before moving. . ." Why the hell was I telling him this? He probably didn't even give a damn and was just trying to be nice. I coughed into my sleeve and sipped at my drink. "Um, what about you? I've never seen you before. Do you live here?"

Percy settled back into his seat and propped his legs up. "Nah, I live on Long Island with my mom and step-step dad. Sometimes I have to split custody-years with other family members. It's a pain. I usually don't come into Manhattan unless I have too."

"Wise choice."

"Tell that to my teachers," he scoffed. He checked his watch on his wrist. "Oh, would you look at the time. I actually need to be getting back to work now. Nice talking to you, Annabeth Chase. I supposed I'll be seeing you tomorrow. Same thing?" He winked at me and for some reason I couldn't find words.

He took a sip of my coffee and walked off to the counter. I didn't even yell at him, which was weird. I always yelled at people for drinking my coffee, especially when I had no idea who they were.

It took me a second to realize that Percy didn't even have a watch on.

_**::**_

_**[December 20**__**th**__**, 2011: Day 3]**_

That morning, as I sat inside the very empty café, I was without a book. In fact, I hadn't even wanted to come in that morning, but I'd decided to just so that I could see Percy and Mr. Brunner.

I always wanted to see Brunner, but this Percy kid was interesting. I wanted to learn more about him. He was nice to me, and yeah, he was pretty hot.

"Hello, Annabeth!" Mr. Brunner called, and this time, he gave me the coffee. Percy looked tired, and when he saw me he bucked right up. Mr. Brunner went off to do whatever he usually did, and as I went to sit down Percy joined me.

"I wish it wasn't so cold outside," he said out of the blue. "Then maybe I could go swimming some place."

"Swimming? Isn't that what indoor heated pools are for?"

"Indoor pools just aren't the same as the outdoor ones. And nothing can beat the ocean." Percy relaxed into the seat right next to mine and leaned back into his chair. "Do you like the ocean? Or swimming? It's my favorite pastime."

"I can tell," I muttered. "I guess. I'm indifferent to it really."

"My friends call me Seaweed Brain," he said matter-of-factly. "One time I was at the beach with them, and I got caught in the rip current. I was under for a while, but I'm really good at holding my breath. When I washed up on shore there was seaweed everywhere in my hair, and the name stuck."

"My friends call me Wise Girl," I informed him. "I just—"

"I already know why. Chiron always brags about how smart you are. I think we've already been over this actually."

"Where did all of this sudden information come from anyway?"

"I'm just trying to make conversation," he said. And for that I was grateful. Because from then on out, even though we barely knew each other, we continued to talk. We talked about our lives and school, and he talked about how he loved the water so much and was an idiot in school, and I talked about how I loved to read books and I really enjoyed being with him rather than with my family. Maybe that was a bad things, but it was true.

By the time I decided I needed to leave, we did know each other a little better. And as I said by I caught Mr. Brunner's smile in my direction.

_**::**_

_**[December 21**__**st**__**, 2011: Day 4]**_

"So, what book are you reading?" he asked.

I reluctantly showed him the front cover of a candle with smoke billowing from the wick. "Looking for Alaska by John Green," I told him, then flipped back to my page and started to read some more. It took me a second to realize that he hadn't moved. I tilted my gaze up. "Yes?"

"So, is it like a travel guide to Alaska?" Percy asked, looking confused. It was kind of cute, though I would never tell him that. His brows furrowed together and slammed downward—why was I paying so much attention to him?

"No, it's a realistic fiction book that came out a couple of years ago. It's actually really good."

He snorted. "I don't read."

"Why not?"

"I'm dyslexic and I find no joy in wasting my time by sitting around and reading a book. I have to work and provide for my family right now." Percy looked around for a second at the vacant coffee shop and then sat down in the seat across from me. "Why should I even read the book?"

I hurried to flip through the pages for one of my favorite quotes. "_When adults say, "Teenagers think they are invincible" with that sly, stupid smile on their faces, they don't know how right they are. We need never be hopeless, because we can never be irreparably broken. We think that we are invincible because we are. We cannot be born, and we cannot die. Like all energy, we can only change shapes and sizes and manifestations. They forget that when they get old. They get scared of losing and failing. But that part of us greater than the sum of our parts cannot begin and cannot end, and so it cannot fail_."

Percy stared at me and then the pages of the book again. "That was deep," he admitted, resting his chin on his palm. "But I liked that."

I grinned at him. I thought he would, and I don't know why.

_**::**_

_**[December 22**__**nd**__**, 2011: Day 5]**_

"You know," Percy said, handing me my cup of coffee. "You're really pretty."

I was completely taken aback. "Where did that come from?" I asked nervously. What the hell was I even nervous? I hated myself a little bit for being like that, but he just brought out all of these emotions in me.

"I don't know," he said finally, after staring at me for a little while. "I guess I'm just stating facts."

"You know, you're a moron."

"I thought I was a Seaweed Brain," he answered, giving me that signature smile that he practically wore on his face 24/7. At first, I must admit, it had been kind of annoying, but now I just thought it was kind of cute, like the rest of him.

We talked on and on from that point, so long that I was pretty sure that by the time I had left the coffee shop, two hours had passed.

_**::**_

_**[December 23**__**rd**__**, 2011: Day 6]**_

I stopped by briefly, only for about five minutes, and it wasn't even to get anything. I just wanted to see Mr. Brunner and Percy. They both said hello, and Percy gave me a hug on my way out. I was shocked, but my insides fluttered when his arms went around me. And it felt great.

His arms were strong from working out and he smelled like pastries and peppermint.

_**::**_

_**[December 24**__**th**__**, 2011: Day 7]**_

"Percy, you know you've been working for seven days straight, right?"

"I know," he answered me, munching on a muffin. Technically, he was still working, but as he put it he was taking a 'break'. He sat across from me at the table. I had a book with me, one that I hadn't read yet and had wanted to for a while, but talking to him was way more interesting.

"It's Christmas Eve, Percy. Why don't you take some time off and hang out with your family?"

He looked uneasy. "Honestly Annabeth, I really do love my family. My mother is one of the best women in the world, I promise you. And my step-step dad is pretty awesome too."

"Sally and Paul," I said, remembering him telling me about them and the other two husbands of his mother's.

"But I just don't feel like I fit in that well with my family. I have to be moving all the time. You know I have ADHD. I can't sit around at home and play video games and eat everything. I gotta be working. I need to make money so that I can by them presents and everything. I really don't mind working here all the time."

"Really?

"Really. Plus, I get to see you. That's a big bonus."

I flushed. It was so insanely sweet that I had nothing that I could say back, because I was too chicken to say that one of the big bonuses of going to the coffee shop was to see him. I changed the subject like a loser. "What do you want for Christmas?"

He shrugged. "I dunno. I trip to an ocean that's actually warm. So, yeah, I have no idea."

"Neither do I," I admitted.

Well that was a dead end conversation.

After he said bye and I walked out of the coffee shop into the freezing ass cold weather, I made the decision that I wanted to get Percy a present. I had no idea what to get him but I was in New York. I should be able to find something. I began to walk towards the shopping district.

_**::**_

_**[December 25**__**th**__**, 2011: Day 8]**_

I came to Starbucks that day at around midday, expecting it to be closed but wondering if Mr. Brunner or Percy were nearby. But there was one light on in the middle of the shop, which was odd for Christmas day.

I knocked on the door and then shoved my hands into my pockets. I really should've brought my new gloves with me. It was in the negatives and the wind chill made everything even worse.

I mentally went over everything I had received and held the little packages tightly against my body underneath my giant coat. My hair was twirling around everywhere in the air.

I wiped at the window so that I could see more. I tried the handle and found it unlocked. "I hope the alarm won't go off," I said quietly to myself and stepped inside. It didn't.

The entire place was vacated from all signs of life. There was only one light on. It was toasty warm, and as I was taking off my jacket I heard a toilet flush from the bathroom. A second later, Percy walked out, still drying his hands with a paper towel.

He froze with shock when he saw me. "Merry Christmas?" I tried, presenting my present in front of him.

Percy looked even more shocked when he saw that. "You didn't have to get me anything," he finally said, his voice awed. "I mean, seriously, we've just met, and I didn't even get your anything. Way to make me feel like a bad person."

"I wanted to get you something."

"When did you ever have time to?"

"Yesterday afternoon," I answered, shoving the little box into his hands. "Don't act like I got you an iPhone or something. It's nothing big. But I got something for you and Mr. Brunner. I'll just leave his on the counter. Is he coming in today at all?"

"No, but he'll be here tomorrow, of course." Percy shook the box in his hands and grinned. It was like he had never been given a Christmas present before. He looked giddy. "Can I open it now?"

"Of course."

He tore off the paper and took the top off of the box, letting him see the small little Hurley wallet that was inside. It was black with the logo on the front. "Thank you," he whispered in awe.

"Jeez, Percy, it was just a wallet. I got it for you because Hurley is a surfing brand and you have a water fetish. Don't act like I gave you a million dollars."

"I'm not. It's just the fact that you even bothered to get me something. I mean, we don't even know each other and you got me something. Besides, I love the color black and I've been in dire need of a wallet for some time now. You, my friend, are a god-send. Thank you. I love it." Percy stepped forward and gave me a powerful hug.

I hadn't seen him act like this ever, but then again, we'd only known each other for what felt like five minutes. At the same time, it felt as if we'd known each other for years. I hugged him back and relished those few seconds that we were arm locked.

"Don't get all teary-eyed on me now Seaweed Brain."

"Wouldn't dream of it, Wise Girl. Are you gonna want any coffee?"

"No, I'm hyped up on enough sugar as it is. I just wanted to drop off the present. I'll give Mr. Brunner his own tomorrow. I guess I'll see you around though."

"Wait a second. Don't move. I mean it. I'll be back in a flash." Percy stumbled off to some part of Starbucks that was unknown to me. And as he asked, I stood there and waited for him. He was back in less than a minute.

"See you tomorrow," I tried to say, but Percy looped his arm through mine and literally dragged me to the door. I protested but he was taking none of it. He stopped dragging me once we had reached the front door.

"What was that all about?"

Percy whipped out something and hung it over my head, and I didn't even have a chance to look at it before his lips were on mine.

I was at a total loss for words. I couldn't have spoken if I had wanted to.

Percy lips moved against my own flawlessly and sweetly, so soft that they were like cotton candy. He kissed me like it was his first kiss, and I wished that my first kiss had been like this. So innocent, so sweet, it was like something from a fairytale. I was breathless when he pulled away, and I hadn't even kissed him back. The shock had been too great.

We'd only just met. We weren't dating. But I really wanted to.

He grinned at me, this moronic water-loving coffee maker, and his cupped my cheek gently. His thumb brushed underneath my lips and then traced their shape, and I swear, this Christmas just kept getting better and better. And though I barely knew Percy, this definitely was the best present I'd received.

I looked up at what he'd held over us. Just as I expected. A little handful of mistletoe.

"Merry Christmas, Wise Girl," he murmured quietly, his breath dancing across my lips.

_**::**_

_**[December 26**__**th**__**, 2011: Day 9]**_

Yeah, I was a tad bit scared to go back to the coffee shop that morning. But I did anyway.

I was still completely confused by the kiss. What had that meant?

Percy greeted me when I walked into Starbucks with another kiss, one on my cheek and the other on my mouth. Both were loud and wet. They made me shiver in a good way, but I was still confused. The mind-clouding kisses did not help at all.

"What's wrong?" Percy demanded, seeing my expression.

"Nothing," I said way too quickly.

He arched a brow. "Don't lie to me. You're a bad liar."

That I was. He knew me well. How the frick did he know me so well? "I'm. . . I don't know Percy. What do you expect me to be like? We made out yesterday underneath some mistletoe and you kissed me when I came in. What is going on between us? What does this mean?"

"Well, I thought you were the Wise Girl," Percy joked. I was having none of his. I scowled and he caught on. "Okay, sorry, I was just kidding. But I kissed you because I wanted to and I like you. I thought that maybe you liked me too, and I'm not trying to be cocky, so I thought that we were. . . I don't know, dating now. Is it wrong to assume?"

"You know what they say about those who assume."

He rolled his eyes. "Annabeth, I'm not going to force you into anything that you don't want to do. I know we've only known each other for what? Nine days now? It's crazy, but I really do like you and I want to date you. I'm being very forward now but I can't help it. Call me a moron all you want. Will you date me, Annabeth Chase?"

Everything went silent. I had no idea what to say. Yeah, I liked Percy too, but would dating him be a good thing. Would it ruin this friendship that we had built over these days? I hoped not, because I said yes. All I wanted was to say yes. I was glad that I did. A grin broke out on Percy's face.

And then we kissed.

After we had finished and talked things through a little more, I went over to Mr. Brunner who was working.

"Merry Christmas," I told him with a small smile and handed over his present.

"Annabeth my dear you know you don't have to ever get me anything," he scolded me, but we was regarding me warmly. He set the present down instead of opening it. "What do you think of Percy? I can see that you two are getting along very well."

I laughed at him. "We're dating now."

"I thought so much."

"Why didn't you ever tell me about him? He says that he's known you for a while."

"My dear, I never saw the need to. But seeing you two like this. . . well I wish I had introduced the two of you earlier. This is just a delight to see."

_**::**_

_**[December 27**__**th**__**, 2011: Day 10]**_

Percy and I were dating.

It was official. This was the best Christmas ever. And it wasn't even Christmas anymore, but whatever.

That day, Percy and I couldn't do much. There were tons of people in Starbucks and he was completely busy with his work. But I sat there in the shop. I was warm, and I didn't even read a book. I just watched Percy work from my little table in the corner of the shop while I sipped on my Peppermint mocha.

_**::**_

_**[December 28**__**th**__**, 2011: Day 11]**_

I decided that I wished that I had asked him out first, the day after we had met. Because this was great.

Percy worked until the afternoon, and then we went out on a date, walking through the snowy Central Park. I drank my signature Peppermint Mocha while he just had a glass of warmed water. "You're a freak," I told him.

He winked at me. "It's what I strive to be."

Much to my surprise, I found dating him a lot easier than I had expected it to be. I didn't have to change myself or anything. Percy was great with me. We had only been dating for a little over two days. We'd kiss and hold hands and joke around. Percy was really weird and had a really weird sense of humor. Sometimes I laughed. Others I stared at him while he busted out.

At one point we'd decided to sit down on a bench lacking in snow. Percy had laid his head in my lap and I'd read to him, since he really didn't enjoy reading.

I'd read him bit and pieces from The Future of Us.

_"How can you call it love when it hurt you so badly?"_

_"It was love because it was worth it."_

_**::**_

_**[December 29**__**th**__**, 2011: Day 12]**_

The next day was much of the same things. He was nice, sweet, gentle, kind, crazy, stupid, and that was what made him absolutely perfect. After work he took me out for a walk through the streets of Manhattan. Somehow we made that romantic. Then he took me out to dinner at an Italian bistro.

And afterwards, when he dropped me off, his kissed me so that my toes curled on their own accord and I was instantly warmed.

We made every single minute feel like a lifetime.

_**::**_

_**[December 30**__**th**__**, 2011: Day 13]**_

Call me crazy, but I think I was in love with him.

I remembered reading the Princess Bride in school, and how the main character Buttercup had fallen in love with Westley in one night, after seeing him with the Countess and being jealous. She'd had somewhat of an epiphany, and she'd gone right up to him and said that she had loved him for many hours.

Then I remembered reading the Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, and how they'd gotten married after only knowing one another for a couple of hours. They had been willing to do so much just for fairytale love. It was mind boggling back when I had read it, but I now understood it.

I hadn't been so happy since my mother was alive. And every morning, just visiting Percy in the coffee shop had made my day. When I wasn't with him I was thinking about him. At night, I was actually dreaming about him. It had been increasingly hard to read ever since that first encounter.

I wanted to be next to him. I wanted to kiss him all the time. I couldn't even believe it, but it was true.

That morning when I went to the coffee shop, and Percy kissed me the moment I walked in. He'd been waiting for me by the door rather than manning his counter station. All of the costumers were mad at him. What a moron.

What a perfectly miraculous moron.

_**::**_

_**[December 31**__**st**__**, 2011: Day 14]**_

"Happy New Year's Eve!" I said walking through the door.

Percy sauntered up to me and kissed my chastely on the mouth. "Same to you," he breathed against my lips and I felt that same smile.

I wanted to tell him about how much I loved him and how I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him, but then I realized that it would probably sound weird and might even scare him off. You know, run for the hills. We had plenty of time to tell the other those three words. They didn't have to be said now.

My boyfriend, rushed off behind the counter and made me my Peppermint Mocha. I sipped on it and shared it with him.

"Do you want to go watch the ball drop tonight?" he asked suddenly. In all my years of living in New York, he was shocked to find out that I'd never gone. "We must. I want to be the first person to take you there."

It definitely beat sitting at home with my dad and brothers. I wanted to be with him, so I said yes. I wanted to say that I loved him, but I didn't know how to.

_**::**_

_**[January 1**__**st**__**, 2012: Day 15]**_

"Good morning!" I said way too cheerfully. The Starbucks was empty again, it being six AM. It would probably fill up in an hour due to all of the traveling back home.

Percy was there, but he wasn't in his normal Starbucks uniform. When I glanced in his direction, the memories of late last night and early this morning caught me off guard. We'd gone to Times Square and had watched the ball drop and listened to all of the performances. It had been, by far, the best New Years Eve since my mother had been alive.

"That's way too much cheer for this time in the morning," Percy groaned. He was wearing a thick sweater and jeans, a North Face jacket in his lap. He looked exhausted but happy to see me.

"Any reason you aren't working right now?"

"I'm going home," he said simply and sadly.

"Percy, you live in Long Island. It's not that long of a drive from here to there."

Percy patted the seat next to him and I sat down. He looked so depressed that it actually hurt me a little inside. He grabbed my hand in both of his own and pressed a kiss to the palm, then held it against his cheek. He didn't talk for a whole minute. "I'm not going back to Long Island. I have to split custody. It's the beginning of a new year. I have to go to Florida."

Everything stopped.

I was frozen. Percy stared at the ground. He refused to meet my eyes.

No. My perfect winter break was not coming to an end like this. Hell to the no. This was supposed to be our love story. I loved him. He could not move to Florida to live with family. He was supposed to stay in Long Island and we were supposed to see each other on the weekends and stuff and everything was supposed to be great.

This was not supposed to happen.

"Have you known this would happen the entire break?" I finally asked after a long stretch of silence.

He nodded subtly.

"Why?" I whispered. Then repeated louder. "WHY? Why wouldn't you tell me this? Are you really kidding me Seaweed Brain? Please tell me this is some kind of sick joke?"

Percy didn't say anything about me raising my voice. "No, it's not." Then he turned and looked me in the eyes. His green ones were a little glassy and I noticed the Hurley wallet peeking out of his pocket. "I didn't know how to tell you. And then we became a couple and I didn't want to ruin our time together by putting some type of stop watch over our heads."

"But you can't just leave!"

Percy turned around, and Mr. Brunner discreetly slid into another room.

Then he cupped my cheek and pulled me into a deep kiss. And to me, it just seemed so final. My lips opened up underneath his, and we kissed for what seemed like forever. I never wanted the kiss to end. I put my arms around his neck and kissed him back with everything that I had. I poured every single thing that I was feeling into the kiss and he did the same.

After forever, we broke apart. "Annabeth. I love you. Being in Florida will never change that."

Those three words. He'd said them first. I kissed him again. "Percy, I love you too."

"We can make this work Annabeth. We have phones and Skype. We can write letters and there's summer break. Maybe I can come up here and visit you or you can visit me. We will stay together Annabeth. I love you too much to let a couple of states break us up."

I hugged him even tighter. I was worried. What if he found some hot Floridian that he decided he liked more than me? What if we just couldn't make the long distance relationship work out? There were so many variables that I just didn't know what to do, and I HATED that. But I had to trust Percy. I loved him so much that it was ridiculous. We could try and with any luck we would succeed. I couldn't dwell on this any longer. It would start screwing with my brain.

"Okay," I mumbled.

Percy drew back and pulled his wallet out. Opening it up, he showed me a picture inside of it. It was of us from the night before at Times Square, kissing. We were both so happy.

"I will always keep this with me Annabeth. You'll always be my Wise Girl."

"And you'll always be my Seaweed Brain," I answered earnestly. I ran my fingers through his black hair. "You're my moronic miracle, Percy, I swear you are."

He smiled at me.

We stayed in each other's arms and talked. We made plans all the way up until the time that Percy had to leave to go get his suitcases and go see his mom. He had a flight to catch. We kissed and I tasted tears.

Winter break was over.

. . . . .

. . . .

. . .

. .

.

_**[December 18**__**th**__**, 2012: Day 1]**_

I smiled when I walked into the same old Starbucks at the ripe old age of eighteen, on the first day of winter break for my senior year of high school. I had a giant Harry Potter tucked underneath one arm and I was lacking in caffeine that I desperately needed. The inside of the shop was warm but I got even warmer when I saw who was at the counter.

"Peppermint Mocha?" Percy asked.

* * *

**Happy Holidays! I hope you enjoyed! Sorry for the typos and OOCness. Reviews are appreciated!**

**-BBH**


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